North & South Koreas on a reconnecting drive﻿

Bangkok. 01 January 2019. There are a lot more smiles among the two Koreas.

Just a day after Christmas, there were significant moments to
rejoice with a project unveiled between the North and South Korea to reconnect
rail and road links severed since the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon
Jae-in have moved towards longer-term cooperation. An ambitious project was
unveiled to modernise the North and South Korea railways and roads, witnessed
by invited officials from China and Russia.

Ironically, the good buddy-buddy bondship comes as a time in the
North East region, where Japan was on the spotlight for beefing up its defense
capabilities attracting strong backlash from China and South Korea. While such
moves could be construed as heightening tensions, on the other hand, it is also
reassuring to note that it’s not always about one’s might but solitary.

“The railway will not only
reduce time and space but also the distance between the hearts of the South and
North,” South Korean Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee said at the ceremony. In
the same vein, Seoul is wishful that it will link with the Trans-China and
Trans-Siberian railways eventually.

And it’ll be dream come true for the Koreans, which provides stronger
connectivity and coupled with robust economic growth for both nations, provided
it does not come to a standstill.

REALITY CHECK FOR KOREAS

To put into perspective, just to commemorate the ceremony, officials
sought approval from the United Nations since it required transporting vehicles
across the border to the North Korean border town of Kaesong. And the Koreas
cannot inch forward without the lift of US-led sanctions against the North. So,
in essence, Washington could squash this high level of optimism if no concrete
steps are taken by North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal.

And notwithstanding that the US has already registered its uneasiness
with South Korea that the latter should maintain immense pressure until Kim
Jong-un abides to full denuclearization. The South Korea Unification Ministry
confirmed that actual construction would be pursued in accordance with progress
in the North’s denuclearization and the states of sanctions against the North.

To dial back, US President Donald Trump met North Korean Leader Kim
at an unprecedented summit in Singapore in June 12 to discuss the North’s
denuclearisation and the easing of sanctions.

Since then, Kim had placed a moratorium on nuclear or long-range
missile tests. He has also shut down his country’s only known nuclear test site
Punggyeri. However, there is no clarity if his nuclear warheads and delivery
missiles had been dismantled.

Now assuming that North Korea has taken constructive steps towards denuclearisation
and the project moves forward, it appears that modernising North Korea railways
could take decades and will be a massive investment too. Now that would be
another milestone for deliberation.

Given that North Korea has repeatedly voiced displeasure about the
slow progress in the reconciliatory projects, analysts further noted that South
Korea, is in fact, building on existing agreements.

And it will be no surprise if North Korea continues to pressure to
make it happen despite sanctions. South Korea’s position of advancing
inter-Korean ties may have positive impact on denuclearization too.

As the year draws to an end, optimism continues to latch on the
Koreans in terms of project advancement and its one of the several peace
gestures agreed between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and liberal South
Korean President Moon Jae-in.